Plans for a complete UK withdrawal from Basra have been rejected. But Gordon Brown has been advised that once the focus of troops is largely on training and mentoring Iraqi forces, numbers could drop from 5,000 to 3,000. The cut, yet to be decided on, could be announced in a statement on Iraq due when the Commons sits again next week. It is thought British forces are likely to stay in Basra for up to two further years. They are currently heading towards "overwatch", which involves mentoring and training the Iraqis and not actually going on patrols.
Meanwhile, Britain's consul general in Basra, Richard Jones, has told the BBC that local people are scared that all-out war could break out between rival militias once Britain has handed over security to local forces.
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